Visiting the very cool Airstream City in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico

By Cheri Sicard
As the gates to Airstream City swung open to allow me to drive in, the dusty San Felipe street behind my truck seemed a world away from the gorgeous oasis that spread out in front of it inside the “city’s” walls.

Baja California, Mexico, in general, and the San Felipe area, in particular, have a lot to offer RVers, especially snowbirders and adventurous van lifers. And I will talk more about this in other articles. But this time I wanted to focus on one of the most unique places to stay, especially for Airstream lovers.

Airstream City owner Daniel Dudley has been living in the area for more than 15 years and always had his eye on the downtown San Felipe property where his Airstream B&B now resides.

Daniel loved that the property was in easy walking distance of the Malecon, San Felipe’s tourist area, and set apart from the large ex-pat communities to the north and south of town.

Because Airstream City is actually in downtown San Felipe, guests can easily walk to shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, not to mention San Felipe’s famous sandy beach. Then walk, or stumble as the case may be after too many margaritas, home.

Daniel has a 30-amp and a 50-amp space for those who bring their own RV. If you don’t bring your RV, you have the option of staying in one of his extensive collection of restored vintage Airstream trailers, or in one of several stylish apartments.

Even though Airstream City is set in the heart of town, its walled perimeter makes it secure and private. Organic gardens and lots of comfortable outdoor space make it homey. You can even enjoy the outdoors on a rooftop balcony and relax in a hammock.

A hearty homemade Mexican-style breakfast is included using produce from the garden. Or guests are welcome to use the resort’s kitchen to cook.

Although with so many great restaurants in walking distance, why cook?

Daniel recommended a local favorite mariscos (seafood) place nearby and it did not disappoint. La Palma has an extensive selection of traditional Mexican shrimp, clam, oysters, octopus, and fish dishes. I ordered a mixed seafood cocktail and a cerveza and was one happy camper.

Some of the Airstreams have showers. But just like any good campground, clean showers are available for those that don’t have one or for those who prefer not to shower in their RVs.

For anyone planning a Baja wedding, family reunion, or other special event, you can rent out the entire property. They are set up for catering, bands, and plenty of space for dancing and merry-making. And plenty of lodgings for everyone at the party to stay.

I asked Daniel how long he had his Airstream obsession, and he said he never had one until moving to Baja. He encountered so many great vintage trailers left behind by an older generation of Baja travelers that never came back, he couldn’t resist buying them. Some go back to the ’40s and are quite rare. Although all of them were in varying states of disrepair when Daniel acquired them.

Before he knew what had happened, he had accumulated a collection of vintage Airstreams! In fact, he has more than those available to rent at Airstream City, which he is still working on.

The question then became what to do with them. The answer: Open a hotel!

If you plan to stay in the San Felipe area for a while, chances are you will want to go to one of the ex-pat campgrounds north or south of town as they are better set up for long-term residents.

However, if San Felipe is but one stop on your Baja RV journey, consider a stay at this unique fun B&B/RV park. There’s certainly nothing else like it. I’ll definitely be going back!

Practicalities

• Visit Airstream City’s website
• Discover more about visiting San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
• Your closest border crossing into Mexico when visiting San Felipe is at Mexicali/Calexico

You might also like

• Traffic stops in Mexico: What to expect when stopped by the police
• Crossing the border into Mexico at San Ysidro/San Diego

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